Happy Birthday to the Queen

Today I'm remembering my beautiful mom. If she were still here, she would be 88 and that just doesn't seem possible.  Her last birthday here on earth that we got to celebrate with her was five years ago, and to be honest, that doesn't seem possible either. I remember wanting so badly to make August 8th, 2019 special for her, but I left our visit that night sad because I knew that it was not the birthday I wanted for her and that in all likelihood it would be the last birthday I would see her on this earth due to her declining health.

There were so many years of fun birthday memories of my siblings, our spouses, & our children gathering to celebrate our Queen.  I will not ever regret the effort we made to honor her and spend time with her. For much of my life, she was my closest friend. I knew she was my biggest supporter, a solid listening ear, champion for my children, and a fierce prayer warrior. She didn't necessarily see herself as strong, but she was because her strength and stability came from a relationship with the Lord. 

I think about my mom everyday and still miss her so much.  She would be so proud of our kids and love spending time with them. She would love where we live now and getting to see the water from the windows in our home.  She would still laugh at Harvey's stories because she adored him, and she would also make sure that I was feeding him well. She would be excited to hear about Trey's college ministry work and Claire's work as a counselor. She would absolutely beam with pride at watching Trey & Claire become parents and I know she would show everyone around her pictures of her great grands. Goodness, she absolutely LOVED babies and she would love this new season of life as a great grandparent! She would even learn to love coffee more (it was never her favorite) just to support Jonathan's work at Haerfest because she loved him that much! She would have joy in seeing the man he has become. My mom would love that Rebekah is starting a disability ministry at our church and be so proud of the work she is doing. She would marvel at her creativity with the dresses she has made (without a pattern :). My mom would be excited that Benjamin is going to Liberty U. and would be worried that he leaves in less than a week and that his room is a mess & that we have hardly bought anything (we sure could use her help to organize that mess). She would want to hear all about Elizabeth's next play audition & see her outfit for the first day of tenth grade. And you'd better believe, she would help her organize her room too! 

Even though I would love to celebrate with her today, I cannot even imagine what her birthdays must be like now.  I love that she is in heaven with my dad, sweet loved ones that have gone on before, that her body is restored, and most of all, that she is with our Heavenly Father. I am so thankful for her legacy of love and faith that she left behind for all of us.  I pray that I will always follow in her footsteps of being a kind, supportive, and loving wife, mom, & grandmom. 

Happy Birthday Queen!